Purple Dogs
by Elliot Pole
Summary: There is a competition held for people ot win a Ho-oh. Both Ash and Dawn enter, and they meet some crazy cartoon characters such as Scooby and Shaggy, Mickey and Pluto, Eustace and Courage, etc. But this game may be too hot to handle.
1. Prologue

**Purple Dogs**

**Prologue**

A tiny green sprite was moving FTL. Radormi's radar read it, but he could not tell what it was. Then he watched as a Donphan attempted to catch up. Donphan halted, out of breath.

A rainbow bird came out of the sky and landed in front of Donphan. They appeared to be conversing. Ho-oh seemed to be worried about something; Donphan wanted to calm it down.

Then a load roar was heard, and one of the Three Legendary Dogs came into view beneath a stream of flame. Radormi knew it as Entei. As the latter Pokemon strode forward, he scorched the grass beneath his feet. Using his Ember, he burned Donphan on its right side. There was now a blazing wound there that would never be removed. Ho-oh tried to use Drill Peck on Entei, but out of the blue came another of the Legendary Dogs, Raikou, with its jagged purple tail. Only, something was strange about this Raikou. It was all violet, every last spot on its flesh took on that hue. A jolt of lightning fried Ho-oh's wings, sending it spiraling to the ground. Any novice trainer could catch it now. If the Legendary Dogs weren't standing there, Radormi would take his chance.

And then Celebi appeared from nowhere. It was the sprite Radormi's radar had noticed. Now, acting as the Sandman, it used Hypnosis on the Legendary Dogs. Once sure of their slumber, Radormi decided to creep out from his hiding place and throw an Ultra Ball at Ho-oh. Imagine, having a Legendary Pokemon of his own! It would be his pride and joy.

He heard heavy boots in the lane opposite him. No! Someone else was going to notice the vulnerable Pokemon! He had to act quickly! Pulling out a random Pokeball, he hurled it as far toward Ho-oh as he could. It hit Donphan, but nothing happened. This could only mean one thing: Donphan belonged to someone else.

Then he saw his competitor. It was a man with a haggard face, thin cheekbones, and scarecrow hair. He stood erect, but a support allowed him to do so. Radormi could tell that this man would normally be hunched over.

A peculiar laugh emerged from the stranger's mouth. He tossed a Puissant Ball at Ho-oh. Radormi had never seen one of those before. It's strength was supposed to be between that of an Ultra Ball and a Master Ball. And of course, Ho-oh was caught.

"Now I have the all-powerful Rainbow Pokemon at my disposal!" the man said, holding up the Puissant Ball in triumph. "Thank you Donphan. Thank you Celebi. You were great out there."

Donphan and Celebi belonged to this man. Radormi thought he knew what happened. Both Donphan and Celebi had pretended to be wild so that they could trick Ho-oh. The latter Pokemon had warned Donphan that there might be Pokemon poachers around, but Donphan had put on a demeanor of self-possession. Furthermore, this must be the time of the year that the Legendary Dogs hunt here. This poacher had reckoned on the Dogs being furious at trespassers in their turf. He was right, if he had so ingenuously planned this. Donphan was scorched; Ho-oh fried.

A helicopter thirty feet in the air had dropped a rope ladder, which this man climbed deftly. Radormi had a desire to go after him, but by the time he saw his chance, the helicopter had already risen nine feet in the air. It was too late.

Radormi stared around him at the unfortunate Legendary Dogs, who had driven Ho-oh into such dangers. There were duplicates of them, of course. However, he worried about something. Only two of them were out here now. Usually these Dogs form a threesome. So where was the Suicune of this pack? Was it hiding nearby? Would it come out and attack Radormi? He decided he would not wait to find out. Gathering his radar and knapsack, he meandered to the nearest town.


	2. Awkward Pokemon

**Purple Dogs **

**Chapter One**

"Guys, I'm going to take a detour to Cherryroot City. They've got the latest equipment for a Pokemon Breeder there, and best of all, the Officer Jenny in that town has a skirt just a couple shades darker than any other Officer Jenny AND the Nurse Joy has fingernails only three centimeters shorter than the average Nurse Joy."

"Yes, Brock, we get it," Ash said, annoyed.

"You'll meet us at Bloomrust Town, right, Brock?" Dawn asked.

"No, we agreed that we'd meet at Clusclove."

"Oh," Dawn said, trying to put Clusclove in her memory bank but failing. "Ash, you'll have to keep track."

"Like I can read a map better than Brock does," Ash laughed. Aipom took his opportunity to take Ash's cap. "Hey, my hat! Give that back!"

After Ash retrieved his headgear from the renegade ape, he and Dawn went to the Pokemon Center for rest and Brock went on his way to Cherryroot.

"Brock sure is eager to see his dream come alive," Ash commented.

Dawn was not listening. Ash came over and found her staring at a poster for an upcoming competition. It read like this:

**Purple Dogs**

**Come one, come all**

**To the first annual**

**Purple Dog Contest!**

**All you need to do is **

**Bring a Dog Pokemon,**

**And compete!**

**Note: This is not a normal Pokemon contest.**

**In fact, forget the word "normality."**

**All people are welcome to enter.**

"I don't have a dog Pokemon!" Dawn wailed.

"Hey, don't sweat it, Dawn. I could loan you one of mine."

"You have some?"

"Actually, no."

Dawn fainted. When she was revived two hours later, Ash handed her a Pokeball.

"What's this?"

"You wanted to enter, so I traded one of my Tauros for it."

"Oh, Ash, you didn't have to do that."

"Hey, it's no sweat. I had over thirty of them anyway…might as well trade them for something else. And I got rid of another so that I can enter this Purple Dogs contest as well. It sounds sweet!"

Dawn said, "Go, Pokemon, whatever you are."

A Granbull appeared. Dawn pulled out her Pokedex.

"Granbull is timid in spite of its looks. If it becomes enraged, however, it will strike out with its huge fangs."

"Wow, Ash, this really is a purple dog. I wonder how it'll do at competition."

"Of course, we don't know what'll be expected of us. The details on the flyer aren't thorough enough."

A week passed, during which Dawn tried to work with Granbull as though this were a normal contest and Ash trained with his new Pokemon as if this were a Gym battle.

Then it was time to sign up and meet their competition. Walking through a red-and-white tent Ash saw an old man in overalls with a purple dog standing beside him. Standing on its hind legs, sort of like Granbull, only this one looked wimpier. Its owner was calling it "Stupid dog," which Ash felt unjust. He almost voiced his opinion when a boy in a green uniform and with a Pikachu on his shoulder greeted him.

"Hey, Ash, how's it going?"

"Richie?" Ash asked. His own Pikachu climbed down to meet Sparky halfway. "Long time no see."

"Yes. And this purple dog competition is a really big deal. First prize is a Ho-oh."

"A real Ho-oh? Aren't they supposed to be impossible to catch?"

"Maybe so, but that's the promise to the one who can win."

"What Pokemon are you entering with?" Ash wondered.

"Oh, that's a surprise. You'll see."

"Some of these dogs don't look at all like Pokemon," Ash commented as a Great Dane stood in front of him behind a master who wore a lime-green shirt and had a shaggy hairdo. "What is that thing?"

The Great Dane's master turned around. "Hey, how dare you call Scooby a thing. Introduce yourself, Scooby."

"Ruff," Scooby said, timidly.

"Scooby, ask for some Scooby snacks."

"Rooby racks?"

"Your Pokemon can say something other than his name?" Ash asked, curiously.

"Zoinks! What's a Pokemon?"

Ash stared. "Are you senile?"

"No, I'm Shaggy," said the fellow, extending a hand.

"Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," said our hero, although he was not a bit dismayed. "How can you be _alive _and not know what a Pokemon is? Unless I've walked into some alternate reality."

"Ash, look!" Richie said, pointing. A person that looked like a mouse in red overalls was holding on to a leash of a purple dog. Ash thought they were both Pokemon and consulted Dexter.

"Mickey Mouse. First appeared in Steamboat Willie until Walt Disney invented technicolor. A famous cartoon was created for him and his girlfriend, Mickey Mouse. His ears have been seen in many a feature-length film produced by Disney corporation."

"Pluto. Purple is not it's natural color; but in one episode they tried to paint him to make his fur the same hue as the planet from whence his name came. Then, in 2006 A.D., some scientists in Prague, Italy declared that Pluto is not a planet. Is not an anthropomorphic dog like Goofy."

"Whoa," Ash said. "These entries are weird."

Dawn came toward them with two purple Labradors in tow. Granbull was eyeing them greedily.

"Dawn, I'd like you to meet my friend, Richie."

"My pleasure," she said, extending her hand.

Then they heard cries of "Pongo! Perdita! Where have you two run off to?"

The two lavender Labradors ran forward to greet their trainers. Or so Ash thought of them. But were these Pokemon? Things were getting weirder and weirder…

There was a dais and platform in the middle of the tent, and upon this a man with a hoary face and a hunched back climbed. He took a microphone and spoke.

"Gadies and lentlemen, may I have your attention." All the chaos in the room died out to listen to the cracked voice. "This is one of the most dangerous competitions you will ever engage yourself in. However, the prize, a rainbow bird pocket monster, should be worth all your endeavors. You will be given packets explaining how to play this game. Some of you will shriek in fear when you see the risks involved. But know this: there is no turning back. You've made the choice to come and you'll have to stick to it. In one hour we will announce out first contestant."

A clown went around handing people packets. Dawn eagerly opened hers and read the bolded guidelines:

**You will be blindfolded.**

**You will have to man a ship while blindfolded.**

**Maneuver Lake Oris and jump when you reach the Haplonni Hills. If you succeed, you will go on to next round.**

**If you do not succeed, your purple dog will be released.**

**You will receive instructions for next round if you survive this one.**

"Released? What does that mean?" Dawn wondered. "They'll just release Granbull into the wild? Well, it's a good thing I'm not close to it, or I'd be very worried."

Richie read his. "Piece of cake. Although I would hate to be one of the ones who fails."

"What do you mean it's a piece of cake?" asked Ash. "We're going to be blindfolded!"

"Well…maybe our purple dogs will help us? They'll be able to see."

"Yes, but how can we talk to Pokemon? I've only met one person in the entire world who can do that. Their sight won't be enough."

Pikachu stopped playing with Sparky and came to comfort Ash. "Pika," it said. _You'll make it._

The hunched man stood back on the platform. "It is now time to draw from the hat the name of the first contestant." He reached into a black cap and pulled out a thin piece of paper. "Dawn from Twinleaf City with her purple dog, Granbull!"

"Egad! I'm up first1 But…I can't watch how other people do it so that I can imitate them!" Dawn bawled, tears swelling in her eyes.

Ash hugged her and they walked toward the platform together, where three men in sailors' outfits were waiting. Granbull was following. "Is this your purple dog?" asked the hunched man.

"Y-yes," said Dawn.

"Well, it will remain with me. You go on the ship alone. Now, follow Bordaccio, Vinderel, and Poddie," he said, indicating the sailors.

They ambled out of the tent, and Ash tried to follow. "Hold it young man," said a menacing fellow with yellow teeth and halitosis. "She goes alone."

Ash sighed. Dawn would probably get hysterical soon; he hoped not, for it might ruin her chances of winning.

Outside, the three sailors led Dawn to a ship. They wrapped a loin cloth around her eyes and set her in front of a wheel. "When you hear a gunshot go off, start turning the wheel. Listen to the sound of the wind. It will be heaviest on the side nearest land and lighter the farther from land you are. Now, the goal is to not get too close to the mudbanks until the mast of the ship hits land at the end of the river. Got that?"

"I think so."

"Good. You're on your own."

The sailors climbed off the ship. No one was cheering and waving; they were being led to the Haplonni Hills at the south end of the Lake. A gunshot was heard.

"That must be the signal," Dawn said to herself. She turned the wheel, terrified. After a few yards she tried to locate the side the heaviest wind was on. But she could not.

"Mur-krow," was heard as feathers flapped and something landed on her shoulder.

Dawn shrieked and nearly let go of the wheel, which would've been bad luck because she couldn't find it again. Her courage would be ripped from her. Then, she thought she heard her feather-friend speaking in a language she could understand.

"Steer to the left," it said.

She obeyed. A loud noise was heard; it sounded as if a part of the ship were sinking. "Cannonball did damage to starboard."

"Cannonballs!" Dawn yelled, as more of those dastardly demolishers were heard in the water around them.

"To eschew these foes, steer to the right," said the Murkrow.

She obeyed it again. Another cannonball rocked the ship. "Damage to port," lamented her seeing-eye bird.

When it told her to steer to the right at the next bend, she went to the left. The cannonball missed. Every time Murkrow told her to go in one direction, she went in the opposite one. Then she heard shouts. She was nearly at the hills!

"Steer to the left," said Murkrow.

Dawn went to the left. A cannonball ripped through the mast, tearing it to pieces. Ash's voice could be heard. "You've made it," he called. "Now, throw your anchor in the water!"

Anchor? Dawn worried. What was he talking about? She was about to take her blindfold off when Murkrow pecked her wrist, causing her to cry out in pain. Then she tripped, and felt hard iron touching her legs. Realizing that this was the elusive anchor, she lifted it up with difficulty and tossed it in the ocean. The ship was steady now. Ash directed her toward the hill with his voice, and she jumped. But something was wrong. Something in the sea had severed the anchor, and when Dawn jumped, she wasn't close enough to the hills to succeed. She plunged into the hazardous waters full of cannon smoke and hungry Sharpedo…


End file.
